Once Upon a Time We Got Kidnapped in the English Countryside
by angeldemon952
Summary: Previously known as "Everyplace Else". When Amy, Dan and Nellie get to London, there's a surprise waiting for them. And it's not just the Kabras... Takes place after Viper's Nest. My first fanfic. Enjoy! Edit: As of 7/10/13 this fic is now going to be updated regularly and finished.
1. Someone Waiting Across the Pond

**A/N: If you read this story's first chapter before, (pre-July of 2013), I suggest reading it again, as some parts have been changed and updated. That's all! Thanks for reading! Also, my titles tend to have Panic! At the Disco length titles, so the full ones will be pasted in each chapter and shortened ones in the actual navi.**

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**Chapter One - ****_There's Someone Waiting Across the Pond for Me_**

Amy leaned her head against the window.

_Another day, another plane_, she thought.

She was sitting on the plane with Dan who was, per usual, stuffing his face with Doritos and Nellie with her music up so loud that the pilot could probably hear it. And they were in the back row. Normally Amy would be catching up on her sleep, but she couldn't even close her eyes. They were going to the last place on earth she would want to be.

_London_.

Even the thought of it made her shudder and become uncharacteristically angry. As soon as they had figured out where to go next, she had been dreading the moment when the plane would land. When she got off the plane, he would be out there somewhere. She couldn't even think his name. Ian. Even though most of the time just thinking of him made her want to punch him in the face, everyone once in a while she would see something strange in his eyes, something that could almost be called affection. Just knowing that he could be right around the corner made her furious and happy at the same time. But mostly furious. When she finally had to face him, which she undoubtedly would as he and his sister invariably crossed their path every trip, would she be strong enough? As the airplane doors opened and she got her things, she realized it. She just didn't know.

Dan lead the way to the baggage claim, hyped up on sugar.

"I wonder what we're looking for?" he thought out loud.

Nellie replied, "Saladin." But she knew what he meant. Why were they here? Dan had been thinking about it the entire flight. Why London? What was so special about it? Why not... Brazil or... Alaska? Why the one place they knew they could be hunted down within seconds? He was still thinking about it as they came around the corner to the baggage claim. And there he was.

Ian. He was standing there, right in front of them, holding Saladin's cage, the same as always. Except, two things were missing. His sister, Natalie and his ever-present smug smile. Instead, he was looking guilty, as if he wasn't supposed to be there. Actually, Amy thought, he looked practically wary, like someone was going to get him. And someone probably was.

Amy opened her mouth to ask how he knew they were going to be there, but answered her own question. Of course the Lucians would have tabs on the flight rosters and been keeping an eye out for anyone who could possibly be related to the Cahills.

"What do you want, Cobra?" Dan asked defensively.

Ian's smile returned at Dan's words. "I'm only here for a kind word. I promise I won't harm any of you."

Those words made Amy explode on the inside. "H-how can we know we can trust you?" Amy stuttered, "After all y-you've done?"

Ian's smile vanished. "I only want a word." he said.

"Fine then, t-talk." Amy replied.

"In private?" Ian asked, "Please?"

"If you're going to talk to us, then talk to all of us." Dan said.

"I'd rather not." Ian said carefully, "I'll only talk to one of you. How about you Amy?"

"Oh no you don't, Cobra. You'll be talking to me." Dan pointed to himself.

"Well, alright then." Ian replied as he pulled out his phone.

"Who are you texting?" Nellie said questioningly.

"Oh, nobody." Ian said, shutting off said phone. "So are you going to come talk or not?" he asked Amy.

"F-fine" Amy followed him over to some chairs and sat down as far from him as possible while still being within hearing range.

"Oh well," Ian sighed, "I came here to make you a deal. And a fair deal at that."

"Okay..." Amy said. "What?"

* * *

As Amy and Ian were discussing the deal, Dan and Nellie were trying hard to figure out what they were saying.

"Okay but really, what's going on here?" Dan asked Nellie, "He just shows up and expects us to trust him?"

"Well," Nellie said, "at least he didn't bring his brat of a sister. That's a good sign, right?"

Once she said it, Amy and Ian came back from their "conference."

As soon as Ian left them, Dan asked, "What happened? What'd he say?"

"We made a deal." Amy replied quietly, "I'll tell you later."

They went down to the baggage claim area to wait for their luggage, Dan growing more and more impatient but the minute.

By the time they got their bags and went over to the bookstore to get some guidebooks, Dan had nearly exploded. He was bouncing up and down in the aisle while Nellie and Amy started looking for books that they thought would be helpful in the search.

"So, what did he say? What did he say?" Dan asked impatiently.

"Calm down, will you kiddo?" Nellie said as she tried to get him to stand still, "You got way too much sugar on the plane."

"Dan, if you stop bouncing, I'll tell you about the deal." Amy said.

Dan immediately got very serious.

"So, basically," Amy started, "Ian will make sure the Lucians don't know we're here in exchange for us telling him the clue when we find it."

"You agreed to that?" Dan practically yelled, only to be immediately shushed by Nellie. He couldn't believe it. First of all, they weren't actually only here for the clue. And second, even if they found it, why would they give it to that bucket of slime?

"No Dan, I told him we'd think about it. So what do you think?" she replied.

_Of course we shouldn't do it._ That was all Dan could come up with. But then he remembered the sharks in Australia, the snake and spiders in the mine shaft, the propeller in Africa, the poison in the vial and the fire and he realized that if they didn't agree to the deal, they might as well just walk up to Isabel and tell her to kill them. She would be after them as soon as she knew they were here.

"Well, if we don't they'll kill us. And if we do, I'll kill us. So I guess we'll have to agree. And if we don't find the clue then, oh well, I guess we couldn't give it to them." Dan said carefully.

"Good idea. So, I guess we'll agree then?" Amy said.

"Agreed." Dan said.

* * *

**A/N: So, if you read this before, I would love to hear what you think of the changes so pleases review! And if this is your first time reading it, you should also review ^_^ Reviews are like my crack.**


	2. In Which I Reanimate The Story

**A/N - _In Which I Return and Grovel at Your Feet Begging For Understanding and Play Dr. Frankenstein_**

So I wrote this a while ago and then sort of lost touch with the fandom and the series as a whole. And by a while ago I mean, oh you know, almost exactly three years to the day. But~ I have found new drive to finish it and my head is already teeming with new (and old) ideas so... if anyone is still interested in reading this ol thing, I will be updating once a week on Fridays, unless I get farther ahead than planned and possibly post more than one chapter a week. So... I guess this is sort of a modge podge of old and new, like Frankenstein's monster...

IT'S ALIIIIIVE!

Ta-ta!

- M


	3. Like the Back of My Hand

**A/N: I know I said I was going to update once a week, but decided that the rewrite of chapter one didn't really count, so here's chapter two! Please review, favorite, all that jazz. Here's where it starts to get interesting, if I do say so myself(;**

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**Chapter Two - _Like I Don't Know This Town Like the Back of My Hand_**

Reaching into her ratty sweatshirt pocket, Amy pulled out her phone and dialed the number on the scrap of paper Ian had pressed into her hand before departing from their meeting.

"Hello?" asked the cool voice on the other end of the line. "H-hi." Amy stuttered, suddenly immensely aware of what she was about to agree to. "Ahh... Amy," Ian replied, "May I assume this means you have reached a consensus?"

"Yes, you may." she said in what she hoped was a smooth voice.

With the slightest hint of impatience in his voice, he asked, "Well then, are you in or not?"

Amy turned to look at Nellie and Dan, giving them to change their minds one last time. Upon confirming their answer, she spoke into the phone, saying, "We've decided... to trust you. Yes, we're in." As soon as she finished speaking, Amy shut her eyes, unable to ignore the various ways in which this could go wrong and scenarios rushing through her head.

"Excellent," Ian said, slightly exuberant seeming, "There is a car waiting for you downstairs and someone will take you and your luggage to the hotel I..."

As Ian continued to outline their agenda, Dan began to stare off into space, the conversation no longer able to hold his attention. He had to admit, one perk of this whole deadly global scavenger hunt was the opportunity to enhance his people watching skills. Just as he was beginning to come up with a story for the elderly woman and the younger man sitting next to her, someone caught his eye standing just out of his line of sight was an alarmingly familiar man dressed all in black and, even more unnerving, a girl his own age dressed identically next to him.

* * *

"Okay sure, see you there." Amy hung up the phone, placing it back in her pocket. "So Ian said there's car waiting for - Dan?" Dan snapped his head back to her and Nellie. "Are you okay? Did - did you see something?" He quickly shook his head. "No," he stressed, "it's nothing, don't worry. I just thought I saw something but it was nothing."

"Well anyway," Amy continued, "He hired a car and someone is waiting for us downstairs, so I guess we should just head down there now."

Grabbing their bags and Saladin, they started their way down to the arrivals lounge and the car waiting for them.

The entire escalator ride down, Dan just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with this whole deal. It probably didn't help that he kept seeing someone following them out of the corner of his eye that disappeared every time he looked. After a weird look from Amy, he tried to ignore it and faster than he could say "Beam me down Scotty" they were at the bottom of the escalator.

Arriving at the doors, their found their limo river by the sign he was holding that read "The brilliant one, the pint-sized twit, and the pierced au pair." Dragging along a blushing Amy and a steaming Dan, Nellie made her way through the crowd and together they got into the limo.

Amy leading the way followed by Nellie and then Dan, they slid one by one into the back seat, only to be met by the slightly smirking face of Ian. "Scooch over, jeez." Dan squawked as he tried to fit into the car.

Slamming the door behind him, he threw himself into the car, causing a chain reaction that ended up with Saladin in his carrier on the floor, Amy practically on top of Ian and Nellie rubbing her head where it had hit the ceiling. After a few moments of blushing, awkward stammering and shouting at Dan, everyone got settled and prepared to hash out the details of their plan.

* * *

During the terse half hour drive to the hotel, they finally came to an agreement.

They would have a room (paid for by Ian of course) at The Intercontinental downtown where they would set up a headquarters of sorts where they (meaning Dan, Nellie, and Amy) would stay until they located the next clue.

Meanwhile, Ian would help from behind the scenes; distracting his family, helping if they needed classified Lucian information and paying for all expenses from his personal funds.

Reaching over to tap on the glass partition separating the front and back seats, Ian placed a piece of paper with the address of the hotel on in the gloved hand of the driver and instructed him to take them there immediately.

Dan turned to stare out the window as the other three in the car began to discuss what the clue could possibly mean and how to go about starting the search for it.

Ever since leaving the airport he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following them. The paranoid itch on the back of his neck was ever present and grew more and more prominent the closer they got to their destination.

Every few seconds he turned around to stare out the window, only to see that no cars were following them. In fact... there were no cars at all.

"Uh, hey guys?" he asked as he turned back to face the group, "Is the hotel supposed to be in the middle of nowhere?"

In unison they each turned to look out the window closest to them to see that indeed there was indeed a scarcity of buildings and cars around them, instead replaced by rolling hills and foggy countryside. Wrapped up in their conversation and thoughts, they hadn't noticed that they were going in the complete opposite direction of their original destination.

"Ah no, no this isn't where it is at all." Ian emitted.

Yet again he reached forward, this time to slide the partition away.

"Excuse me sir, but I do believe that we may be going the wrong way." he said, tapping the driver on the shoulder.

Turning around, the driver revealed himself to be... the man in black? "Oh I know Mr. Kabra," he drawled, "We're just taking a little... detour."

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**A/N: Review, etc. and thank you for reading(: Also, remember, this story went AU after In Too Deep, so some people (i.e. the man in black) may be different than they are in canon.**


	4. There's A Spooky Manor

**A/N: HAPPY THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY GUYS~ It has been exactly three years to the day that I first published this and here we are, three chapters later! I decided to post today to celebrate it, but the next update will still be Friday of next week so if you can't stand to wait more than a week between chapters, I suggest hiding for two more days. Longest chapter so far! Enjoy(:**

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**Chapter Three – ****_There's A Spooky Manor Owned By Our Enemies and You Want Us to _****Live****_ There?_**

Amy drummed her fingers against her legs while both Ian and Nellie stared anxiously out the window and Dan tried to get a signal on their phone. After revealing himself, the man in black proceeded to shut and lock to divider, leaving them to panic and also possibly plan a little for their escape.

"Seriously, suckiest cell service _ever_. I can't get even a single bar!" Dan angrily pressed a few buttons before giving up and stowing the phone back in his backpack at his feet. He turned to the other occupants of the backseat. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

"Plan? What are we supposed to plan? We've been kidnapped by the man in black with no means of escape, in the middle of nowhere, being whisked away to god knows where and we can't call for help and-" Amy took a breath and tried to calm down, wringing her hands in front of her as she steadied her breathing.

"So," Nellie straightened and said, "first thing's first: where are we? Because I've got to be honest, everything basically looks the same to me." A glance out the window showed that the landscape was full of what looked like the same rolling English countryside as before.

"I've been staring out this window for the past five minutes," started Ian, "but even I have never been this far from the city." Rubbing the nape of his neck, he pulled out his phone and tried to dial the Natalie's cell number. His phone had the latest Lucian technology and even it couldn't reach anyone. They were truly unreachable and on their own.

"Well there has to be something we can do!" Dan exclaimed, "I mean, we can't just let him _kidnap_ us, there has to be a way we can call someone or leave a note or something to tell people what's happened to us." Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned back to look out the window, hoping to find some kind of landmark or house or _anything_ really that could possibly give them a hint as to where they were going.

As soon as he said it, they began to pass through a small town, a village really. Each of them turned to look out the nearest window, hoping to see an address or street sign to help pinpoint where they were. Before they could even blink they were already through the town and whizzing down the road back into the hills.

Sighing, Amy looked over at Dan, having one of their sibling telepathy conversations.

_We can't just sit here and wait for our fate at the hands of the man in black_, Dan told her with his eyes. _You remember what happened at Grace's house and in Austria._

_I know, but what are we supposed to do? It's not like we can just open the door, roll out and walk all the way back to the city,_ Amy replied. _Even if we could he would just stop the car and carry us back to the car. Plus, he saved us in Russia, maybe he isn't all bad._

_He's a _Madrigal_, Amy, _he expounded.

_He _knew our parents_, Dan, _she retorted.

* * *

After a few more minutes of silent arguing and ending up still unable to reach an agreement, the two broke off their conversation and returned their attention to the scenery outside their windows.

Several minutes passed before they saw anything other than grass passing by. "Wait, what is that?" Ian pointed to a dark looming shape on the horizon.

Surrounded by tall grass and next to a small murky lake, a huge dark manor was appearing clearer by the minute. Five stories tall, it was an imposing figure on the plains, made of dark brick and oak with two spindly turrets peeking up from two opposite sides of the building. As the car made a sharp left onto the drive, they could see the flickering candlelight in the upper floor windows and see the shadows of people moving in what would appear to be the living room on the ground level.

Bringing the car to a stop outside the iron wrought gate, their driver and kidnapper clambered out of the car before removing their bags from the trunk, ringing the bell on the portcullis and swinging the now unlocked gate open.

* * *

Leaning against their windows, the inhabitants tried to get a glimpse through the curtains of the people residing inside. "I have to admit, this is a little… _unnerving_ to say the least." Ian pulled away from the window.

A rap on Dan's window startled them out of their observation of the imposing building. Like frightened deer they turned to look at the source of the noise to see the little girl Dan had seen at the airport.

"Who is that?" came Amy's hurried whisper. Dusk had begun to settle around them while they were waiting in the car, casting the small girl in even more shadow than her dark clothes provided. The sight of a miniature female version of the man in black shook her to her core and made her uncomfortable in a way she couldn't quite place. Another tap on the window shook them out of their frozen state.

Opening the door, the girl said, "Everyone is waiting for you inside, come along." If anything her light, lilting accent made her even more eerie.

Ian reached for his own door handle, surprised to find that it had been unlocked the entire time they had been parked in the drive. Clambering out, he reached out his hand to help Amy out of the car and grabbed his jacket before closing the door behind him.

* * *

The four of them met on the other side of the car and began to follow the young woman up the path to the gate. Pausing as she whispered into the intercom, Dan looked around at their now clear surroundings.

What had seemed to be a clean cut estate was now seen to be in slight dilapidation. Shingles falling off the roof, peeling black paint on the shed, broken shutters and creaking weather vanes showed the true age of the building. The allegedly glorious gate was covered with rust in some places and the garden on the other side was less of a garden and more of a patch of overgrown grasses and wildflowers spotted with old ceramic statues of angels and whatnot.

She led them up to the oaken doors and rap sharply on the four times in quick succession. As she waited for someone on the other side to open them, the sky opened up and began to pour down rain upon them. As they huddled under the porch roof, the door swung open and their escort turned to them with an unearthly smile and said to them, "Welcome to Blackhouse Manor" before ushering them inside.

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**A/N: Ooooh 2SPOOKY.**


	5. Where's Mystery Inc When You Need Them?

**A/N: Chapter four, enjoy~**

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**Chapter Four - ****_Where's Mystery Inc. When You Need Them?_**

The girl, having introduced herself as Athelia, abandoned the soggy group in the front hall. Cautiously glancing around them, the dripping four took in the décor around them. Between the portraits of dead people and the moth ball ridden velvet curtains, it looked like a haunted house out of an episode of Scooby Doo.

Upon pointing this out, Dan was met with groans, but it was totally worth it. Someone had to relieve the tension with comic relief and he found himself the best candidate for the job.

"Seriously though," he complained, "Who was in charge of the décor in here, Morticia? I keep waiting for Cousin It or Wednesday to pop out of a closet." He walked over to the other side of the hall, examining what appeared to be the outline of a hidden door in the oak that he'd have to go investigate later. The whole creaking-chandelier-candelabra-dark-wood-paneling thing was something out of an Edward Gorey story. Also, he's pretty sure he just saw an actual bat fly up into a corner of the ceiling.

Wringing out her hair, Amy glared at him from across the hall. Dan's particular brand of humor wasn't exactly her favorite thing in the world right now. All she wanted was to take a shower, curl up in bed and read a book. The last thing she needed was spooky little girls and a kidnapping to contend with.

* * *

Ian, meanwhile, was frantically searching through his jacket pockets.

"Whatcha lookin' for there kid?" Nellie leaned over him, trying to see what he was freaking out so much about.

"My flashdrive," he snapped, "It was in my pocket in the car. That little demon must have picked it off me." He huffed in frustration and sat up. "It had a bunch of top secret files on it that I was supposed to deliver to mother tomorrow. She'll be furious."

"I think we've got bigger problems than that right now." Dan pointed down the hall to the ajar door and the light and voices streaming out of it.

* * *

One by one they crept down the hall, Dan in the lead with Nellie bringing up the rear. Inch by inch they snuck down the hall, trying to avoid any creaky floorboards, until they were right in front of the crack of light.

Peering through the doorway, one on top of the other like in the cartoons, they saw something they honestly never thought they'd see.

Sitting around the drawing room were their various opponents from the hunt. Alistair Oh and Hamilton Holt were conversing from armchairs by the fire while Natalie Kabra tried to get her purse back from Madison and Reagan Holt next to Isabel Kabra who was arguing with Sinead Starling and the Holt parents.

"It's like some bizarre version of Family Feud." Dan's whispers were quickly shushed as they crowded around closer to try and see the other occupants of the room. In the other corner were the Wizards in an angry but hushed conversation while Ned and Ted Starling combed the bookshelves lining the room.

As Dan pushed forward to get a better look, the door swung open from right under their noses.

"Ah, and here are our final guests!" The man in black pulled away while the four straightened up from their crouching on the floor.

"Ian!" Natalie ran forward to her brother while Isabel stared on suspiciously from the corner. "How on Earth did you end up with them? We were at home waiting for the town car to take us shopping when we were accosted and put in their car instead. Where were you?"

Shaking her off, Ian successfully avoided the question by turning to the man and saying, "Why have you taken us all here?" while shaking Natalie's hand off his arm.

"Yes," interjected Mr. Wizard, "I for one would like to know exactly why my son and I were dragged out of a very important meeting only to be flown out and taken to a random old house in the middle of nowhere Scotland."

"England."

Mr. Wizard turned to Amy who had spoken. "What?"

She cleared her throat. "England," she repeated, "We're in England, not Scotland. There's quite a lot of water between the two, not to mention the differences in geography, politics and accents."

Stifling a laugh, Ian continued, "Anyway, why and how have you taken us all to this place? I mean, the security on each person here must have been very good, how did you manage to get around it? You must know that keeping all these frankly volatile people in the same place for extended periods of time could have some fatal consequences?"

"We are aware of the possible... outcomes of our actions, yes Mr. Kabra," answered the man in black, "Although maybe you would like to explain to the assembled how you were taken here, hm?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ian looked down at the floor, scuffing the floor with his shoes for a few moments before looking back up and stating, "I do believe you are avoiding the question."

"And I do believe that you may be doing the same, Mr. Kabra. But, this conversation has begun deviating from our original subject at hand." he said as he clapped his hands together once quite loudly, "We have business to attend to! Will everyone please take a seat in the following order:" he began to gesture towards various areas of the expansive drawing room, saying, "Dan Cahill and co., have a seat over in the corner by the armchairs. Kabras, please find yourselves seated on or around the ottoman next to them. Wizards, over by the fireplace. Starlings, can you please arrange yourselves next to those bookshelves there? Ah yes, thank you. Mr. Oh, you may stay seated where you are. Holts, you can just, uh, go where ever you can find room, yes."

* * *

As soon as everyone was settled in their assigned places, the man in black moved to stand in the middle of the room, Athelia at his side. Folding his hands behind his back, he straightened himself and cleared his throat

"Hello Cahills, you can call me Mr. Cotton. Please, allow me to welcome you to Blackhouse Manor, your home for the next few weeks or so, until we come to an agreement. You see, in Lady Grace's will there was a small stipulation that, should the need arise, all members of the clue hunt will be gathered in this manor and kept there until they have reached an agreement."

Eisenhower Holt raised his (already booming) voice and hollered from the corner, "What are we supposed to be agreeing on?"

"Why Mr. Holt," Mr. Cotton smiled, "You all shall be agreeing on whether you're going to share your assembled clues with the others or spend the rest of your life living with the constant fear that someone is breathing down your neck and waiting for the perfect moment to end it all. It's simple. Among everyone here we have knowledge of all thirty-nine clues and if you choose to leave without sharing your own, you will have to settle with a constant threat of possible death looming over your heads."

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**A/N: Review pretty please? Do it for the creepy house and possibly haunted garden...**


	6. The League of Extraordinarily Strange

**A/N: Apparently, the farther we get into the story the longer each chapter becomes. Huh. Also, PSA time here: I am going to be away at camp from the 16th to the 27th, which means there won't be any new chapters for the next three Firdays. _However_ I will be writing while I'm there, so I may update every day after I get back until I'm on track for Fridays again.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Five - ****_The League of Extraordinarily Strange and Unsettling Individuals_**

At his words, the room burst into loud and angry chatter. Everyone began clambering at once, outraged at what he was implying. Accusations and dismayed shouts began bouncing off the walls from various occupants.

"Please everyone," Mr. Cotton tried to he everyone's attention over the ruckus, "If you would please settle down, I will explain what I mean."

After a few moments, the aggrieved members of the group settled and waited impatiently for the man's explanation.

Amy, on the other hand, was not infuriated by the idea. The entire time the other occupants of the room were shouting and arguing with each other, she sat in her seat in stunned confusion. As if the hunt itself wasn't dangerous enough, now they had to give up everything they had fought so hard for just to escape yet another threat to their lives? It just didn't seem to make sense at all. If she wanted to survive, the family that had been feuding for centuries had to work together and give up years of secrets, which had about the same chance world peace had of being established.

Unbeknownst to her, Ian couldn't help glancing in her direction every few moments. He had seen her initial reaction to the statement and was worried for her. She and her brother had been thrown into this competition and even though it had been a while since then, she and Dan still did not have the kind of training and preparation the other teams had had. We're this whole deal to go sour and everyone would have to deal with death threats for the rest of their lives, at least the other teams would have the fighting and evasion skills or the money and power to possibly survive. Amy and Dan didn't and the thought that they might not survive left a cold feeling in his chest.

* * *

"Everyone just-" Mr. Cotton was continuing to struggle with quieting down the shouting assembly. As if knowing how hard of a time he was having, the doorbell suddenly went off, stunning the group into silence. At once everyone began to look around the room again, trying to figure out who they could be missing to no avail.

As Athelia skipped out of the room to answer the door, everyone began to whisper hurriedly as to who they thought the mysterious final guest could be.

Turning to Dan, Amy wondered aloud, "Did the man in black, er, Mr. Cotton say that we were the last guests? When he opened the door I could swear he said we were the last ones."

"Maybe the person at the door isn't a guest," Dan replied, "Maybe they're the one in charge of arranging this whole thing. I mean, I doubt the man in black had access to Grace's will. Plus, he and the goth porcelain doll were too busy following us at the airport to organize this whole thing. There has to have been someone else behind the scenes on this."

"Wait," Nellie interjected, "Did you just say they were following us at the airport? Why didn't you say anything?"

As Dan explained the strange feeling he had had and how he saw them down at the luggage carousel, the door to the main hall slowly creaked open.

There, being led by a suitcase-carrying Athelia, was a shockingly familiar face.

* * *

"Mr. McIntyre?" Dan asked incredulously, "What are you doing here? Did they kidnap you too?"

Adjusting his bowler hat and removing his coat, Mr. McIntyre shook his head briefly before answering.

"Ah no, that is not exactly the case, master Dan. You see, as executor of Miss Grace's estate, it is my job to make sure all obligations of her will are fulfilled and, well, this family reunion, so to speak, is part of that."

He moved to stand in the middle of the room, slightly in front of Athelia and Mr. Cotton.

"You see," he continued, "Miss Grace insisted that a certain section of her will was crucially important and must be included at all costs."

Reaching down to his briefcase, he pulled out a folder from which he withdrew a copy of said will and began to read from it.

"I, Grace Cahill, also set the rule that, should the hunt for the thirty-nine clues include any fatal casualty, all participants shall be required to assemble in Blackhouse Manor in the English countryside to come to an agreement whether it is safe to continue the hunt or whether all should pool their clues together and henceforth work as one team. Should the assembled have possession of all thirty-nine clues as a group, they must decide whether to turn them over to the Madrigal branch representatives or continue their lives with the possibility of death following them forever."

Replacing the file, he straightened up from his briefcase on the floor and said, "We will discuss the agreement after supper. Until then, feel free to visit your rooms or explore the house. Should you need assistance, Miss Athelia and Mr. Cotton will be able to help you. But," his voice suddenly growing darker, "Should you come across any locked doors or suspicious objects, I urge you to continue on your way and to not engage them in any way."

He then left the room with one final wave, leaving the families to sit in confusion as to what exactly just happened.

* * *

"Well," declared Natalie, standing up and smoothing down her skirt, "I am going to go find my room. Are you coming as well Mother?"

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Isabel Kabra stood up to join her daughter. "Yes Natalie," she approached Athelia, who was in conversation with (presumably) Mr. Cotton on the intercom on the wall. "Girl," Isabel ordered, "show us our rooms now."

Turning away from the wall, Athelia raised one eyebrow in contempt at Isabel's attitude before schooling her face into a perfect mask of obedience with a slightly condescending smile. "Of course ma'am," she effused, her voice tinged with fake seeming happiness, "I would be happy to show you and your daughter to your rooms. In fact," she added while turning to the rest of the group, "I can show everyone their rooms now, if that is more convenient. All your rooms are on the same two floors and it would be easier if I can help you all at once."

Eventually all the groups had gathered their various belongings besides their suitcases, which had been taken to their rooms already, and began their ascent of the large wooden staircase in the main hall. The victorian gothic decor only seemed to get darker the further they got up the stairs. Lined with portraits of probably now dead people, the borderline-rickety staircase creaked with every step, only helping to increase the already heightened sense of paranoia and suspicion of everyone there aside from Athelia, Mr. Cotton and Mr. McIntyre.

Everyone was shaken, understandably as these two old men and one little girl had been able to permeate and infiltrate their incredibly tight security and kidnap some of the most powerful people in the entire family. Someone they had been able to sneak them away so quickly and efficiently that not only had no one been sent to tail or find them, but possibly no one had even been alerted to their disappearance.

They were gone, right off the map. And they might never get back.

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**A/N: Please review, favorite, all that good stuff! Thanks, and see you in either 7 or 25 days!**


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